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Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Originally Posted by Ian

The year before I dipped my bottom board pallets in copper naphthenate but only up to the bottom board. They walk on bare wood. That seems to be working well. I didnt fully dip because of my concern of the bees walking on that stuff

Lately we have been soaking just the bottom of the sides on our hive bodies (pre assembly) in Copper Nap. That is the area where rot usually first show up. An hour in the tank usually wicks up about an inch depending on how much liquid is in the tank. Seemed like a good compromise as I was concerned about what effect it might have on the bees if the entire box was treated. I think George has the best program though.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Originally Posted by Ian

hey Jim how do you put up with the copper naphthenate stink on your boxes?

We are diluting it 5:1 with mineral spirits, then painting them after assembly. They usually won't see any bees for at least a month. I don't notice the smell at that point nor have I noticed any negative impact to the bees.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Originally Posted by Ian

6 degrees, sitting motionless in cluster, out of the wind, out of the cold, in complete darkness, waiting for sunlight

Hi Ian, nice videos, I don't know if you can offer a 'one size fits all' kind of answer here but just wondering what kind of food consumption you expect to see in those colonies over the period of their confinement? I imagine it's probably quite low but it's never worth assuming these things!

edit: another question: do they have a particularly rapid build up/zest for work once removed from their winter quarters or just behave in a 'normal' manner.

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Originally Posted by Ian

The year before I dipped my bottom board pallets in copper naphthenate but only up to the bottom board. They walk on bare wood. That seems to be working well. I didnt fully dip because of my concern of the bees walking on that stuff

I presume you used the green stuff like Perme-8 (You can get water-based Cop Nap from Lowes which doesn't seem to last very long).

What did you use to dilute the cop nap? Some use mineral spirits, some use diesel.

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Hi Ian, nice videos, I don't know if you can offer a 'one size fits all' kind of answer here but just wondering what kind of food consumption you expect to see

edit: another question: do they have a particularly rapid build up/zest for work once removed from their winter quarters or just behave in a 'normal' manner.

My understanding is around 40 degrees is optimal for efficiency of food consumption.
The second part of your question is an easy one. Equate confined bees to a whole bunch of grade school kids that just got out of a long day of school without recess.........or bathroom breaks.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Originally Posted by Rolande

Hi Ian, nice videos, I don't know if you can offer a 'one size fits all' kind of answer here but just wondering what kind of food consumption you expect to see in those colonies over the period of their confinement? I imagine it's probably quite low but it's never worth assuming these things!

edit: another question: do they have a particularly rapid build up/zest for work once removed from their winter quarters or just behave in a 'normal' manner.

Oh, I dont know, something like 30 or so lbs of food stores. Thats for a single hive being wintered but they winter smaller than some of my doubles I have in there, they might eat a bit more. I do not usually have starvation problems, I feed them right up in the fall.

Yes they do have a rapid build up and zest to work. Inside they will keep very little brood, and will not brood up until they are actually out and into the sunlight. Out door hives usually have a head start in this manner most years but once the indoor hives make their first flight, and start actively foraging, the queen starts up again.
Jim is right, the first couple of days gets a bit messy!

I had made a short vid of the bees just nicely set out to show other beekeepers how active the yard gets on that first day,
if your interested you can see it here, kinda corny but shows my bees on their first flight. This vid was taken a couple of years ago, Im still using pallets and straps!!!!

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

I presume you used the green stuff like Perme-8 (You can get water-based Cop Nap from Lowes which doesn't seem to last very long).

What did you use to dilute the cop nap? Some use mineral spirits, some use diesel.

Grant
Jackson, MO

Grant, I was using the green stuff, stinks, and mixed it three or four times with mineral spirits. I did not see the water based Cop Nap but I did buy some of the Zinc Naphthenate which did not have any smell to it at all. The one thing about the Cop Naphthenate was after the pallets were done, I could tell they were treated. With the Zinc, there was no smell or change in colour, so I mixed in some Cop Nap just so it seemed like I was doing something lol

Re: Commercial Beekeeping

Originally Posted by jim lyon

Equate confined bees to a whole bunch of grade school kids that just got out of a long day of school without recess.........or bathroom breaks.

Originally Posted by Ian

Yes they do have a rapid build up and zest to work. Inside they will keep very little brood, and will not brood up until they are actually out and into the sunlight. Out door hives usually have a head start in this manner most years but once the indoor hives make their first flight, and start actively foraging, the queen starts up again.
Jim is right, the first couple of days gets a bit messy!

I had made a short vid of the bees just nicely set out to show other beekeepers how active the yard gets on that first day,
if your interested you can see it here, kinda corny but shows my bees on their first flight. This vid was taken a couple of years ago, Im still using pallets and straps!!!!

Jim, Nice analogy. I was pretty much thinking of steers being turned out in the spring after being in store over the winter when I asked the question.

Ian, thanks for taking the time to reply and post the video. I pretty much knew what the answer to the second part of the question would be but it's still nice to hear it from the ground. As for the food consumption part of my question; not a clue! A different world to anything we have over here.